Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi Improvised
by Sparrow-Turner.gals
Summary: We tried to follow the story lines of FE1 as closely as possible, but there are a lot of exciting twists not included in the real story.  This isn't a marysue, but instead we've got a great plot and lots of action! And of course, Marth! R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: We do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters (other than the ones we made up of course)

On the Island of Talis, the brave prince of Aritia, Marth, scoped out an empty beach for any signs of life. To his right was the calm blue ocean, and to his left, a forest of tall palm trees. The sun glinted off his silver armor as he wiped his forehead with his arm. The heat was tremendous and wearing all that armor didn't make things any easier.

Marth continued his trek through the sand, but he became aware of a second set of footsteps behind him; small, skittering footsteps. Marth smiled slyly, then turned around quickly. To his surprise, all he saw were his own footprints in the golden sand behind him. The confused lord scratched his head. Then, another noise behind him that sounded like a whisper. Once again, he whipped around, but to his disappointment, still nothing. Finally, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Oh well," he said loudly, pretending to be talking to himself. "I would've liked to meet some new friends and tell stories about my journeys but that's okay. Maybe I'll just go back to Aritia."

"No! No!" He heard the young voices from behind him. This time, when he turned around, he did see something; two young mages. They appeared to be twins and both girls. They had bouncy auburn hair and wore almost identical tunics, only one was white and the other, brown. They looked up at Marth with big, sparkling, green eyes and smiles from ear to ear. "Don't leave Prince Marth!" The one on the right said.

"We've heard soo many stories about you! What are you doing here in Talis?" the one on the left asked. Marth smiled.

"Well actually I thought I'd come here to, uh, who are you?" he asked, changing the subject. He thought it wouldn't be best to tell anyone what his business was, even if they were just young mages.

Not noticing the subject change, the one on the right answered first, "My name is Suki," she said, pointing to herself, "I'm the oldest." Her sister scowled.

"By four minutes!" she argued. Then she looked back up at Marth. "I'm Reiko." Marth nodded.

"I see. Well Suki, Reiko, you wouldn't perhaps know where I could find a village would you?" he asked. The two looked at each other and smiled brightly. They both grabbed his hands and began to drag him along.

"You can come to our village Prince Marth!" Suki said excitedly.

"Yeah! Everyone will want to meet you!" Reiko added with matching enthusiasm. Marth sighed. He loved to meet new people, but this trip was supposed to be purely business.

"Oh well," he thought. "I guess one side trip wouldn't hurt."

Soon Suki and Reiko led Marth into their village. It was filled with small brown huts topped with palm fronds for roofs. As they arrived, people stared at Marth in shock and awe. They stopped whatever they were doing, and emerged from their huts to see the great crusader they had heard so much about. Whispers arose from the gathering crowds that stood on either side of the rough dirt path through the middle of the village.

Suki and Reiko led Marth to a particular hut that appeared larger than the others. An old druid with a long white beard emerged from the hut. He was wearing a hooded cloak that reached down to his feet. Marth recognized that he was a respected leader, and he bowed his head in recognition. The old man smiled.

"Welcome to our village, friend," he said in a raspy, quivering voice. "Come in, if you please." Marth turned and looked back at the crowd that had gathered behind him and smiled, saluting them with two fingers before heading into the hut.

Inside the hut were a small wooden table and two bamboo chairs. There was a candle on the table and some incense which produced a calming aroma. The old man gestured for Marth to sit at one of the chairs. He then slowly lowered himself into the other chair with great effort. Once sitting, he sighed and folded his hands in his lap. He watched Marth to see what he would say, but the prince waited for the old druid to speak first.

"What brings you to the island of Talis, Prince Marth?" he asked without taking his eyes off him. Marth just returned a blank gaze.

"Business," he said simply. The druid nodded.

"Well, I can allow you to stay in my village for three days, but I am afraid no more. Having a man like yourself here may draw attention from Durhua's troops." He explained.

"Thank you for your kindness, but I will only need a night's stay," Marth told him. The druid nodded with a smile.

"I understand. Places to go, I suppose. Well, I will arrange somewhere for you to stay and you can be off in the morning. My name is Meldern and if you need to find me, my living quarters are the next hut over," he told him. "Now, I know just the hut for you to stay in. There is only one resident there and she tends to keep to herself." Marth nodded. With that, Meldern led him back outside where the crowd still waited and talked among themselves.

As the druid led Marth past them, one particular man caught his eye. He seemed to be staring straight back at him. The man gave Marth a bad feeling. Before he had time to give it any more thought, Meldern knocked on a door to a hut a few blocks away from the one they were just in. "This is where Kaori lives," he explained. "She's our village's greatest sniper so you should be safe with her. Not that you wouldn't be able to defend yourself." Marth smiled.

After several moments, the door opened. Another mage stood in the doorway. Ash blonde hair tumbled down her back to her waist while bangs were cut just above two inquisitive, crystal blue eyes that had a sort of childish youth to them against her sun soaked skin. She wore a faded brown sash and belt over a simple white tunic. On her feet were a pair of chestnut, knee-high moccasins. Marth guessed her to be a year younger than he.

A look of surprise crossed her face when she saw Marth. "Greetings Kaori," Meldern spoke. The girl turned her attention to him. "This is Prince Marth of Aritia. He requires a place to stay and I heard you have an extra room?" he inquired. Kaori tried to hide her excitement, but she could tell it showed when she heard Marth chuckle.

"Um, yes! Of course! Sure he can stay," Kaori answered. Meldern nudged Marth forward. "Oh, come in please," Kaori said in a somewhat small voice. He followed her inside where it was actually bigger than he had expected. They first walked into what looked like a meeting room with a large rug in the center. Next to that, he saw an open entrance that he supposed was the kitchen. Kaori led him to a door on the far right that slid open. "This is the guest bedroom," she explained. "You can stay here." Marth looked at her.

"Thank you for your kind hospitality. I hope I can repay you somehow," he said, gratefully. Kaori shook her head.

"Nah, that's not necessary. It's my pleasure," she assured him. Marth smiled at her. She smiled back. "So, Prince Marth of Aritia?" she asked. He nodded. "Cool."

With that, Marth went into the room and looked around. There really wasn't much to see. Windows covered as much of the wall as possible while on the floor laid a large blanket that appeared to be the bed. Well one sleepless night on the ground didn't seem that bad. At least he had good company. Kaori seemed like a nice girl.

That night, as he lay in the bed of Kaori's hut, Marth couldn't help thinking about the man that had been staring at him as he left Meldern's hut. He seemed different from everyone else, and Marth didn't like it.

After about an hour of tossing and turning, Marth got up. He couldn't sleep, for the thought of the man kept coming back into his head. He walked into the kitchen to see if a midnight snack would help him to fall asleep. As he looked around the room for something to eat, he noticed a large sack of flour sitting on the floor. Suddenly, he had an idea. Marth grabbed the sac and dragged it back into his room. He put it on the bed and threw a blanket over it, making it look like a sleeping person. Smiling, Marth left the hut.

A few hours later, the man that had been staring at Marth earlier in the day snuck out of his hut. He jumped from shadow to shadow and quietly made his way to Kaori's hut. He snuck into Marth's room and pulled out a large knife. He stabbed it into the flour sac, which he thought was Marth, and then made an escape back to his hut.

The next morning, Kaori woke up in her room, excited to spend another day with the hero that everyone was talking about. She skipped down the hallway, and knocked on the door of Marth's room. "Are you awake?" she called. There was no answer.

"Well, I should probably wake him so he can get an early start on his way," she thought. Kaori pushed open the door and froze with dread at the sight inside.

After a few moments of shock, Kaori was able to come to her senses, and she rushed screaming out the door of the hut, right into Marth. Kaori backed away from him in confusion. "Wh-What are you doing here?" she stammered.

"Um...I was staying in your hut, I believe," he answered her.

"But-but-but you're dead! I saw it all! The knife! And the you! And the bed! And-and-and-"

"That wasn't me," he said putting his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. He led her back into the room and pulled off the blanket revealing the stabbed flour sac.

"Oh," she said looking down, a little embarrassed that she had gotten so worked up. This was Prince Marth. There was no way some no-named sniper could've taken him so easily.

"It's okay," he said chuckling. "Anyone would've done the same thing. I hope I didn't scare you too badly."

"No, I'm okay," she said smiling. "Just tell me next time you want to use my flour sacs to fake your death."

"Well hopefully there won't be a next time," he said, the smile fading from his face. "I should be going now." He walked out of the hut, leaving her in silence. Kaori dashed into her room and grabbed a rather large cross bow. None to Marth's surprise, she chased after him.

"Wait! Marth! Let me come with you. I can help!" she pleaded, slinging the weapon over her shoulder and harnessing it to her sash. Marth continued to walk.

"You can't come with me. It's too dangerous," he said simply like he had said it a million times before.

"No really! I'm an excellent sniper and I need to get away from this village! I'm sooo bored!" she continued. Marth just sighed and kept up his pace. By now, the village was hidden behind the trees.

"It isn't safe Kaori. You witnessed it first hand. That guy last night tried to kill me! People will try to kill me everywhere, and anyone associated with me. Plus, you've got a fine life here, and you're still very young. You don't want to give that up to come with me. Battle after battle, running from one country to the next, why would you want that?" he asked. Kaori thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Why would you?" she asked, wittily. Marth shook his head.

"It's my duty. I'm the ruler of Artita. I don't have the choice. But you do, and you have to make that choice wisely." he retorted.

"You're right; it is my choice to make. I choose to fight. Listen princy, I know the countries are in jeopardy. There are already several wars among them and soon, I know the rest of them will join those wars. Including Talis. So it's my duty too," she told him. Then, her eyes sparkled with mischievousness. "Besides, this is my choice, and I've made it!" she declared crossing her arms. Marth smiled at her foolishness.

"Is that so?" he asked. "Well then, as much as I would like you to stay here, you give me no choice but to take you with me. But I must warn you, once we leave, you may never come back, and it's a sacrifice you must be willing to make," he said with a certain seriousness to his voice. Kaori nodded again. Marth sighed. "Then you may come with me, foolish girl," he said with a smile. Kaori chuckled and shoved him gently.

"Hey, I'm not the one who uses other people's flour to disguise my own murder!" she teased.

"It worked, didn't it?" he defended himself. She rolled her eyes.

Back in the village, the residents had gathered in the village square and were all murmuring to one another. The question on all of their minds was, where was Prince Marth? They had all been waiting for hours in hopes of catching a glimpse of him. A few of Kaori's friends had let themselves into her hut to look around. Moments later, they emerged and shook their heads. "He's not there," a shaman stated, "Neither is Kaori!" At this, Meldern looked up, knowing exactly what had happened.

"Listen up," he commanded to the villagers. "They've gone now. No need to look for them, I assure you Prince Marth will take good care of our young friend Kaori. Now, back to you're usual business, the fun is over," he ordered. With a few disappointed sighs and moans, the crowd began to disperse and nothing seemed different other than the absence of the village's greatest sniper, Kaori.

Princess Sheeda waited impatiently back at her castle in Talis for Marth to come back from his journey. He had gone to make sure none of the pirates had gotten away after they had been defeated at her city. It had already been two days now, and she couldn't help worrying about him. "Princess, please stop worrying so much. You've been looking out the window all day," Cain, one of the Aritian knights said coming into the room. She didn't answer, and Cain sighed. "Well, lunch is ready if you want to come down," he grumbled, leaving the room. Sheeda rested her head on her hand. Marth would be back for her soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

"So where are we going?" Kaori asked Marth as they walked along the beach.

"We're going to the main city of Talis. Do you know where that is?" Marth asked, turning to her. Kaori nodded. Then her eyes got big and she smiled brightly.

"Will we get to see Princess Sheeda?" she asked excitedly. Marth smiled.

"I'm sure we'll find the time," he told her. For a while they walked in silence while Marth became lost in his memories of the Talisian princess.

In almost no time at all, the two found themselves at the entrance of the Talisian palace. A few of the citizens who saw the prince scowled at him, reminding him of how unwanted he and the other Aritian knights were. As if he needed the reminder. Marth took a few steps inside before turning around to see the awestruck Kaori gaping at the wonderful view from outside the castle. "Kaori?" he asked, getting her attention. The girl looked at him, then nodded following him farther in.

"Marth?" he heard the familiar voice and turned to his right to see Sheeda, smiling from ear to ear. "It is you!" she exclaimed running into his arms. "How was your journey?" she asked. Marth smiled back.

"It went well, but Sheeda," he began, glancing from her to Kaori who stared wide-eyed at the princess, "this is Kaori," he finished, gesturing to the Talisian next to him. Marth seemed to wince a little when he felt Sheeda's icy glare. Before she had time to destroy him completely, Kaori interrupted.

"Princess Sheeda! I've always wanted to meet you! You're such an inspiration! You're so brave and amazing and-and," Kaori stammered, bowing in respect. Sheeda smiled, blushing.

"Well thank you," was all she could say. Marth smiled, happy to have been rescued from his certain doom by a jealous Sheeda. At that, Sheeda led them into a large meeting room, where Jeigan and the rest of the Aritian knights were waiting.

"Prince Marth," Jeigan said standing up from his chair, "the king is kindly sending some of his troops with us on our journey." Marth nodded. "But, I need to talk to you." Marth turned to Kaori.

"Why don't you get to know everyone? The other Aritian knights will be able to take care of you," he told her. She furrowed her brow.

"Where are you going?" she asked curiously.

"I'll be back for you later," he said simply, before exiting through an arch that led into a dimly lit hall to wait for Jeigan.

Kaori scratched her head and glanced around her, nervously. It was a little hard for a young girl to mingle with the bigger knights. Then she felt a pat on her shoulder. "Don't worry young mage," Jeigan said. "They're harmless outside of the battle field," he reassured her before leaving to catch up with Marth. Kaori smiled and nodded to herself. She glanced around her once more in search of someone she figured would be easy to talk to.

Cain and his brother Abel sat at a wooden table with several other Aritian knights and talked about the recent defeat of the pirates.

"I got one of them when he was trying to make off with one of the Talisian children!" Cain boasted. Abel scoffed at him.

"Yeah but then you nearly killed him when he was flung in the air and I had to catch him," he pointed out. The others laughed while Cain scowled at his brother. Then, all laughter stopped. Cain, who had been looking down, noticed a shadow being cast on the table. He looked up to see a mage standing in front of them.

"Excuse me," she said, "Did you say Talis was attacked by the Garuga pirates?" she asked, her piercing blue eyes looked a bit worried. One of the other knights answered.

"Yes, just a few days ago," he explained.

"There's no need to worry," Abel added, sitting up straighter, "We took care of most of them, and the rest were scared away." The girl nodded in relief.

"What's your name, young mage?" Cain inquired. She curled her ash blonde hair behind one of her ears.

"My name is Kaori," she answered.

"Well, Kaori, have a seat," Abel offered, gesturing to one of the empty chairs beside him. Kaori shyly approached him and sat down. "I'm Abel," he announced, "This is my brother Cain," Cain smiled at her. She smiled back.

"So what's your story Kaori?" he asked her.

"Well," she began, "I come from a village not far from here, but I left with Marth to aid in the battle against Garnif and end the disputes among the countries," she explained. The knights nodded, they to had similar reasons for joining Marth on his journeys.

"I noticed you wield a cross bow," Abel noted. "I assume you are a sniper?" Kaori nodded. "How's your shot?" he asked. She smiled.

"Fair enough," she answered.

"Modest eh?" Abel teased.

"You know, you don't look like most mages around here. What are you doing in Talis?" Cain asked, bluntly.

"Well I'm not originally from here," she told them, "I come from Gra," The Aritian knights at the table fell silent for a moment. She looked at Abel questioningly. He looked back up at her, his face rather grave.

"Gra betrayed us," he told her. She shook her head in slight disbelief.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Cain spoke first.

"They were our allies until one day when we got news that they had turned against us and began attacking our troops. It was just before King Cornelius…um, went into battle against Garnif," he explained. Kaori bowed her head in what could most closely be called disappointment.

"I'm sorry," was all she could think of to say. Abel shook his head.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. It wasn't you," he said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Kaori nodded.

Meanwhile, Marth and Jeigan came to a dark room overlooking the harbor. "I have some bad news," Jeigan said gravely. Marth nodded. "You might want to sit down," he gestured to a chair by the window.

"It's okay, I can take it," he said staying where he was, gazing suspiciously at Jeigan.

"It's not what you think," he said gazing out the window. "Your father was killed the battle against Garnif." The Aritian knight turned to the young prince, awaiting his reaction. He just stood there and stared numbly somewhere no one else could see. Without speaking, he turned around sharply and stumbled out of the room into the hallway.

In a daze, he felt for a bench, pulling himself on it. There he sat for a while, thinking about his father. There was no one to comfort him but the darkness of the empty hallway.

Authors Note: Sorry for the shortened chapter. We have a lot written though, we just had to break it down a bit. We'll update pretty quickly, possibly by the time you finish reading this. :)


	3. Chapter 3

A few minutes later, someone was walking down the hall. Marth didn't notice when she put her hand on his shoulder and sat down next to him. She let his head fall onto her shoulder, his hair falling into his face.

A few more minutes passed until Marth was calm enough to notice the girl sitting next to him. He blushed a bit, then took a good look at her. She had long green hair that came down to the middle of her back, and she wore a dark green tunic and white knee-high boots. Her dark blue eyes sparkled with youth, but she had a sense of maturity about her. She didn't say anything, but her touch was comforting.

After a while, Marth sighed and sat back against the wall, with the girl's hand still on his shoulder. They sat in silence for a while, and then she spoke in a soft gentle voice. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked. Marth nodded and put his hand over hers in thanks. It felt very warm, and he noticed that his had gone ice cold. He rubbed his hands together to warm them.

"It's my father," he whispered looking at the ground. "He's dead." The girl gasped.

"I'm…I'm sorry," she stammered. He shook his head.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Ren," she answered softly.

"Well, thanks for…thanks, Ren," he said getting up. He smiled, but it faded from his face quickly. Ren twisted a lock of soft hair in her fingers and looked at Marth, waiting to see what he was going to do. He looked down the hall hesitating, and wishing he didn't have to tell everyone else.

"Do you want me to tell them?" Ren asked knowing what he was thinking.

"No," Marth answered. "I must do this myself." Feeling reassured, Marth began to walk down the hallway to the meeting room. Ren watched him go, admiring his bravery.

Marth stepped into the room where everyone waited expectantly. They grew worried when they saw the grave expression on the prince's face. Near the front of the group, Sheeda stepped closer. "What is it, Marth?" she asked, timidly. His eyes gazed at her for a brief moment before he lowered his head. In as strong a voice as he could muster, he uttered the words,

"My father, King Cornelius of Aritia…is dead." At first, it appeared no one had heard him. They seemed to not be able to comprehend the words. A dark, heavy feeling came over the room. Finally, some bent their heads while others murmured to each other in solemn, eerie voices. Marth's closest friends had known what had been coming and consoled their comrades.

Sheeda touched her fingers to her lips. Stepping closer, she could think of nothing else to do but embrace him. Right away, the prince wanted it all to be over. Just as much as he hated losing the king, he hated that feeling that had come over them.

Then to his surprise, Kaori stood on the other side of him and faced the troops. "Listen," she ordered bravely, "King Cornelius was a brave man, a legend, and his memory won't soon be forgotten. I may not have known much about him, but I know what he stood for. Peace among the countries…That's what I stand for too…And now it is our turn to defend our kingdoms and we must not let anything get in our way. This is our world and I'll be damned if we let Garnif take it away!" she declared.

For a moment, they were silent, slightly stunned that such a young mage could speak with such strong assurance. Then, the silence was broken by Abel who thrust his fist in the air as he began to shout, "Long live Aritia! Long live Talis! Long live Orleans!" Before long, he had the whole group chanting the countries and their voices, joined together, gave them all the assurance they needed. They could reclaim the land they called their own.

Finally, Kaori turned to Marth. "Long live you, Prince Marth of Aritia," she proclaimed softly, bowing her head in respect. Marth smiled brightly and let out a small laugh. Not that anything was funny, he was just truly overjoyed. Despite the recent loss of the king, he felt they really stood a chance against Garnif, his troops, and all those that opposed them.

Then, Marth heard Sheeda's voice. "Marth?" she said from behind him. He turned around to see the girl smiling. "Good luck," she said, tears in her eyes. Marth touched his fingers to the small gold band on his head and remembered his sister.

"For good luck," she had told him. He believed it too.

A/N: Once again, it is a short chapter. We'll update a lot more soon. Please review though. We accept any ideas and tips, just no flaming because it doesn't help us to improve the story :P Many chapters are soon to come as soon as we space everything out. Enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

Later that day, everyone went into a special skills area to get to know each other's strengths and weaknesses and to practice for battles they would need to fight. The area consisted of a shooting range, a fencing arena, a stable filled with horses, and a challenging obstacle course. Marth sat on the ground, cross-legged, as he watched his troops with admiration. Each person was exceptionally good at his or her skill, and he was sure they'd make a great team. He saw Kaori in the shooting range with her crossbow. She was a good shot as she had said, but one thing he found peculiar was that she had yet to practice her element. Now that he thought about it, the only way he knew she was a mage was from what she had told him. He had never seen it for himself.

"Excuse me, Prince," came a voice behind him. Turning around, he saw Ren, grasping a longbow. "I've heard you're a legendary swordfighter," she said.

"I suppose you could say that," Marth answered, drawing in the dust with his finger.

"Don't be modest," she told him. "I'd like to see how you fight. How about a fencing match? I'm sure it would improve my sword fighting."

Marth smiled, looking up from the ground. "Sure."

They went to the fencing arena and put on their armor. Ren was adorned in white and blue armor and a blue cape. It seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it.

Before he had time to think about it, they drew their swords and began to fight. Metal clashed and dust flew as they stepped carefully around the field. "You're pretty good!" Marth praised her between swings of his sword. "Your footwork is impressive."

"Thank you," she answered. "But I still have a lot to learn." Suddenly, she tripped over herself and lost her balance, flailing her arms around in attempt to catch herself. Eventually, she fell backwards, and in another second, Marth had her at sword point.

"Yes, you do," he agreed chuckling.

"Marth! Come here!" Sheeda called from across the field. Marth looked over at her, and instantly, Ren knocked the sword out of his hand and had him at sword point.

"All right, I surrender!" he laughed. She lowered her sword and smiled at him.

"Don't get distracted. No matter what condition your enemy is in," she told him.

"You're right," Marth admitted. "Now let's try again and see who gets distracted this time." He picked up his sword and Sheeda put her hand on his shoulder.

"Marth, my father is waiting," she said, seeming annoyed.

"Oh, of course," Marth sheathed his sword and followed her back inside.

The two of them walked down the hallway, hand in hand. "I missed you," Sheeda said softly.

"Yeah, I missed you too," Marth said simply, seeming distracted by something. Sheeda noticed and frowned.

"Marth?" she asked. He was looking down the dark hallway. "Marth!" Sheeda said louder. He snapped back to attention and looked at her.

"Yeah?"

"What were you thinking about?" she accused.

"Um…nothing. Are we almost there?" he asked avoiding a straight answer. Sheeda sighed.

"It's right up here," she grumbled. She led Marth up yet another flight of stairs and through a set of large, wooden doors. Her father, the King of Talis, was waiting.

"Greetings, Prince Marth," he said. Marth smiled. "I wanted to see you once again before you go," the king continued rubbing his white beard, "to thank you for saving mine and my daughter's lives, and the lives of all those in Talis. I will forever be in your debt."

"It was an honor, your majesty. It was my responsibility to defend Talis, after all your kind hospitality towards us," Marth answered gratefully. The King glanced at Sheeda and smiled.

"I wish you the best of luck on your journey, my friend. You will always have allies in Talis," he promised.

"Thank you," Marth said simply. He looked toward the door. "I must be going now…there is a lot to do in preparation for our journey." The king nodded in understanding, and Marth hurried out the door.

Later that night, everyone was sitting back in the meeting room again. Marth sat in a chair near the edge of the room, away from the conversation a bit. He suddenly got up. "I'm going for a walk," he announced. Everyone grew quiet; most of them knew what was on his mind as they watched him leave.

As he walked down the dark hallway, Marth heard light footsteps behind him. He had been expecting this; it was Ren. He felt her put her hand on his shoulder, the same way she had done earlier in the day. "I just thought you might want some company," she said softly, almost apologetically. "And I didn't want you walking around alone out there. We still have enemies here."

He smiled. They walked in silence for a few minutes and soon entered the gardens of the castle. "Your father was one of a kind," she said breaking the silence. "I remember that he always put everyone else before himself. That made him a great king."

"I know," Marth agreed. "I just wish he was a better father." He took a deep breath before going on. "With all the wars going on, he never had any time to spend with me, and I was told to keep out of his way. I felt I could never live up to him, like I was too weak."

Ren looked down, remembering a part of her past as well. "My parents died when I was twelve, so I had to learn everything myself. I grew up in Aritia, but I moved here after my parents died to live with my uncle." Marth nodded.

"May I ask how they died?" he inquired.

"Marth!" came a call from behind. They turned around. It was Sheeda. She looked at Ren and back at Marth. He saw her clench her fists, and Marth took action quickly.

"Come watch the sunset with me, Sheeda," he said grabbing her hand. Sheeda's face brightened and Marth escorted her away leaving Ren by herself in the fading light.

"Goodbye, Marth, Prince of Aritia," she whispered.

A/N: Please review, it gives us ideas on how to make our story better and to know if you enjoy it. Most importantly, it'll keep us motivated to write more! R&R! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Everyone got up early the next morning, for they needed to start out for Orleans early. They all strapped on helmets, breastplates, leggings, arm guards, boots, and other kinds of armor. They grabbed their weapons, strapping them on securely. Soon the doors of the castle swung open, and Marth's army entered the streets, their multi-colored armor glittering in the early morning sun.

They marched down to the docks to board their ship. Marth glanced back at the castle, wondering if Sheeda would come to say goodbye. "Let's go, Prince Marth," Jeigan called to him. He turned around and boarded the ship, all hope of seeing Sheeda again gone.

Once on deck, Marth looked nervously out to sea. "What's wrong?" Ren asked walking up to him.

"See those dark clouds on the horizon?" he asked pointing out over the ocean. She nodded. "A storm's coming. And I don't want to be on this boat when that happens."

"Think we should wait an extra day before starting out?" Ren asked getting concerned.

"No, we don't have time for that. Orleans needs our help," he replied walking away.

Soon they set off and were sailing along the coastline. Marth stared sadly down at the calm water below. He had wished Sheeda had come. He could still here her voice. "Marth! Marth!" Suddenly, he heard a voice from above. He looked up and saw Sheeda riding her flying horse. "I'm coming with you!" she shouted, overjoyed. He smiled at her, glad that she would be with him again.

"Sheeda!" he called, waving at her. The rest of the troops all looked up to see the princess and began shouting excitedly and waving as well. She lowered her horse and landed on the deck. Sliding off her saddle, she bounded over to Marth and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're coming!" he whispered, hugging her back.

After all the excitement ended, everyone had gone to find something to do to pass the time whether it be polishing their armor, chatting to one another, or sleeping below deck in the bunks.

Kaori narrowed her eyes against the glaring, late morning sun. Her arms dangled over the wooden rail on the edge of the ship as she lazily swung them back and forth. She kept her eyes glued to the shoreline. Abel came over to join her after sometime. He looked different without all the armor on. "What are you looking at, Kaori?" he asked, gazing at her intently.

"Wait," she snapped holding up a finger, her eyes refusing to break away from Talis. Abel looked curiously from her to the island, then back again. When she finally broke the silence, the Cavalier jumped a bit. "There!" she shouted excitedly, gesturing toward a small grove of palms back on shore.

Abel looked to see where she was pointing and could faintly make out the shape of a few huts. "That's my village!" she squealed, overflowing with joy. She looked so happy, Abel couldn't help but smile in spite of himself. Sheeda and Marth joined them to see what all the commotion was about.

"Is that you're village, Kaori?" Marth asked her. The mage nodded happily. Sheeda squinted hard at the shoreline. Then, her eyes widened with terror. Kaori looked over quickly and noticed a ship anchored near the beach.

"Hey, what's that?" Kaori asked curiously. Marth turned to Abel who had also recognized the ship and looked very uneasy.

"Abel, take her to the other side of the ship," he ordered softly. Abel nodded.

"Uh, Kaori," he said, "Why don't you come with me? There are still a few of the Aritian knights you haven't met yet," he stated. She ignored him and continued to ask questions.

"What's that ship doing there? That's not a Talisian ship. What is it?" she asked, beginning to get alarmed.

"Abel!" Marth demanded. Having nothing left to do, Abel grabbed her by the elbow and began to guide her away.

There was movement on the strange ship. A few row boats were lowered into the water where they immediately began plotting a course toward the shore. "What are they doing?" Kaori asked, turning to Abel.

"Um, I don't know," he mumbled, refusing to look her in the eye. A frustrated expression appeared on her face.

"You're lying! What's going on?" she demanded, fear filling her eyes. When Marth glanced over and saw that fear and confusion, he refused to look any more and turned away, closing his eyes. He couldn't help but feel a little responsible for what was happening. He thought they had defeated those pirates, but he was wrong and the proof was in the row boats headed to Kaori's home. The Aritian knights had attracted their attention, and they were his responsibility.

"Kaori, please don't kick," Abel complained as the frightened girl began to fight in means of escape. That's when they heard the first gun shot, and the shouts from the pirates that had reached shore. The entire Talisian ship fell silent.

"No!" Kaori screamed, her eyes as big as saucers. She began to claw at poor Abel's arms that were now wrapped around her in restraint. Trying to hold onto her with one arm, he reached out for another knight's armor to protect him. Slipping it over his arms one at a time, he felt faintly proud of himself as Kaori scratched at the metal.

Marth on the other hand was far from pride. He felt Sheeda place a hand on his shoulder. "There is nothing for us to do," she half whispered. Marth nodded slowly.

"I know," he said, then he turned to the rest of the group who stared at the island. "You need not watch this," he ordered. With several sighs, the knights resumed all activities on another part of the ship. Jeigan approached Marth gazing down at him.

"I know what you're thinking," he told him. Marth looked up. "This is not you're fault," he finished. Marth just sighed and turned away.

"I'm not so sure," he mumbled.

On another part of the ship, Abel still fought with Kaori to get her inside the captain's quarters. "You keep this up," he said between tugs, "and I'll have to go get a rope!" Kaori ignored what could be called a joke and tried once more to kick him. Her attempt was unsuccessful. "Oh come on!" he grumbled, "Please don't make this harder than it already is!"

"But my village! What's happening to it! They're going to destroy it, whoever they are!" Kaori shouted.

"Well what are you going to do?" Abel asked her. "Don't be stupid, Kaori!" To his displeasure, she continued to ignore him, bracing her hands on the narrow doorway of the small cabin she was being forced into.

Suddenly, her hand struck something. She noticed a port hole on one wall that allowed her a near perfect view of the island; more importantly her village and the ship. Unfortunately, she couldn't have looked at a worse time. The whole grove had been engulfed by a wall of flames. All that could be heard were the spine tingling shrieks from the village.

The traumatizing event gave Kaori the extra boost of adrenalin needed to slip out from Abel's strong hold. "Kaori, no!" he pleaded as the terrified mage bolted back out on deck. She saw Sheeda, Marth, and Jeigan still standing there, watching. Kaori looked back toward her home and screamed once again as she witnessed more and more explosions from within the flames.

Without thinking at all, she dashed across the ship in a stunning attempt to jump overboard, but Marth caught her just before she toppled over. As she struggled to get away from yet another restraint, Marth could only watch in guilt as the flames danced wildly in her eyes.

After several more painful minutes, the ship had silently sailed on, hiding the now destroyed village from view. Finally, Marth let go of her only to find her falling back into his arms in a series of sobbing. Sheeda crossed her arms in jealousy, but when she heard how pitiful the other girl sounded, she forgot about all of that and graciously stroked her hair.

Marth began to think as he held the girl, whether or not accepting her on this trip had been the best idea. He knew this would not be the first time she would have to let go of something she held dear to her. As much as he needed any help he could get his hands on, especially a good shot like she had claimed to be, he didn't want to risk having any more regrets. Sadly, there was no way to turn back now. What's done was done and there was nothing he could do but live up to what he thought was his fault.

Kaori sat near the bow of the ship, isolated from the rest of the troops as tears rolled down her cheeks. She saw a shadow cast on the deck in front of her and looked up to see Cain and Abel. She could tell by the looks on their faces, the pity they felt for her. With a sigh, the heartbroken mage returned her gaze back to the deck. "You said you had defeated them," she said in a harsh whisper. "You said you had scared them off, that they were gone." She listened to the sounds of their boots against the wooden boards as they sat on either side of her.

"The Garuga pirates attack at the worst times, and it is hard to get all of them." Cain began.

"But why were they attacking Talis?" Kaori asked, still looking down. No one spoke for a time. Then Abel perked up a bit.

"You know it's a good thing I found this armor," he stated quite bluntly. Both Cain and Kaori stared at him blankly. "I imagine you would have scratched me near to death had I not!" he finished, holding up one of his arms to reveal a pattern of nicks and scratches along the length of the wrist shields. Cain began to laugh in spite of himself while Kaori managed a smile. She looked to either side of her at the brothers. They looked so hopeful, trying to make it all okay again. Now she couldn't help but to laugh at them.

Now, Kaori was completely dedicated to aiding in the war. There was nothing to tie her back now. Maybe it would be frightening and at times she would feel weak as she did now, but it made it that much easier having new friends at her side. And so, as one life ended for the young warrior, another was only beginning.


End file.
